Pocket-Sized
by Ailec-12
Summary: Tony and Steve may not be best friends as adults (shh, they are getting there), but as children they totally hate each other... right? Some Pepperony and Science Bros feelings along the way, but the main focus is Tony & Steve friendship (or lack thereof).
1. Skinny Steve

**To Marytta. Hey, sugar.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Not even the drawing, which is just the cutest thing Mary has ever drawn.  
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**This story is beta'd now! Thanks to alygator86.**

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**1\. Skinny Steve**

He wished Bucky was there and he hated himself for it. He had got himself into that mess (once more) and so, he would get out of it on his own.

Another well-aimed kick impacted on his arms, which protected his bony torso. There were only two kids this time. Steve knew one of them had an uncle discharged from the army, and it seemed like he had taught his nephew some moves, but it did not really matter. He was too skinny anyway, too _weak_ to beat anyone up. He hated himself for that, too.

The beating seemed to last for hours. On this occasion, there was no Bucky to end it. The children just got bored and left. Steve knew that his friend was playing somewhere a little far from there. Bucky had actually met a new group. When he had invited Steve to go with them, the scrawny child had refused. He was still a bit under the weather from a cold the previous week and his mother would not let him go outside the neighbourhood. Besides, he always messed up meeting new people. He knew Bucky did not mind —not much, at least. He often said there would never be a person more important than Steve, because they were brothers in every way that was relevant. Yet, he wanted Bucky to make new friends. And maybe, when they knew and loved Bucky, they would not mind that Steve messed things up as well.

Finally, he got up from the pavement. He ached badly, but looked like he was in one piece, so he thought it was probably fine. He started to walk home, already making up some excuse in his mind for the scratches and fresh bruises. He did not enjoy upsetting his mother, but it was impossible for him to stand bullies.

While he walked home, the ten-year-old remembered the trigger of that particular fight. One of the kids (he had already forgotten his name) had insulted Bucky for being an orphan. And Steve had launched himself at him —even though his asthma hardly let him breath most of days. And he stood no chance against the two bigger boys. In addition, they would probably never dare say that to Bucky's face, so his best friend would not have known. In spite of all this, Steve never doubted defending his friend was the right thing to do. Because they would always have each other's back, until the end of the line.

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**A/N: The first two chapters are a bit short, but they will get longer later, I promise. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. All opinions are welcome; criticism only helps me to improve!**


	2. Tiny Tony

**2\. Tiny Tony**

"Guys," said he, and although there was a certain cockiness in his voice, there was also a slight shakiness, "this is starting to get old, don't y—?"

One of the boys shoved him against the lockers with so much force that, for a moment, it left Tony breathless. None of this was really a new event. The older boys would corner him and ask for something. They usually wanted his homework; sometimes, they made Tony buy them lunch. However, in times like this, it was that big mouth of his what had got him in trouble.

He could not even recall what he had done this time. Oh, right. He was showing off his mathematical skills again. He remembered saying something about how many donkeys the high school accepted those days. He almost smiled at the memory, but then the leader grabbed him by the lapels, almost choking him, and every thought vanished from his head.

"Shut your mouth, buffoon. It's clear you don't learn. Is your brain as small as you that can't learn what ain't in the books?"

A chorus of laughs followed and Tony felt how his eyes stung with undesired tears. He hated that part of himself: being so sentimental, so weak. His father was right. He could never be Captain America. He could never be a hero, even though he was a genius. But what good came from being a genius? There he was, surrounded by incompetent fools, yes, but stronger than him. Bigger than him.

"Well," he spat venomously, because he was truly incapable of keeping his mouth shut, "maybe I really need another lesson, but you're gonna need a lot more, because I'm sure as hell I'm not gonna help you with your homework."

The other boy, almost five years older than him, only laughed. Tony felt his blood run cold.

"Oh, such a big mouth for such a tiny kid. Yeah, I think you really need a lesson. And everyone knows what the best place for learning manners is. C'mon!" he shouted to the other three boys, dragging the younger child towards the restrooms.

Hours later, he was sitting in the back of the car with fresh bruises in his arms and a very bad mood. The bruises were hidden under his sweater. Yet, he knew Jarvis sensed that something was wrong. The butler said nothing during the ride, but did try to stop Tony when he got out of the car and ran to the mansion.

Jarvis found Tony in his room, sitting on the floor with his knees drawn up to his chest. Jarvis sighed and sat on the floor next to him. The Englishman usually disliked such things. Still, Tony showed no surprise. The child knew very well by then that Jarvis was the only one willing to go out of his way to make him feel better. He supposed that was what love was like.

"What happened?"

Tony bit back a sigh. There was no way he was going to complain.

"Nothing."

Jarvis offered no answer and finally, silence infuriated Tony enough to break it.

"It's the same as always, Jarvis. Those wankers just won't leave me alone."

"Tony! Where on earth have you learnt that word?"

Tony smiled sheepishly.

"I heard it to Aunt Peggy the other day."

Jarvis frowned, but went back to the most important topic.

"Tony, you must say something. To a teacher, the head-teacher, anyone."

The ten-year-old shook his head vigorously.

"No, I can't do that. I can stand it, Jarvis. I know I can."

Such was the earnestness present in Tony's eyes that Jarvis felt how his heart broke once more for that boy. He, more than anyone, knew of Tony's need for validation, for approval.

He leaned a bit to his side and put his arm around Tony's shoulders without a second thought. Immediately, Tony leaned against him as well.

"I know it, too. But you don't have to, young sir."

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**A/N: What did you think? Please, review!**


	3. Little Ones (Part 1)

**3\. Little Ones**

'Damn it, Tony,' thought Steve while he went down to Bruce's laboratory. JARVIS had already told him that the genius' workshop was empty. The debriefing of their last mission had been over only two hours ago. Enough time for Steve to have a long shower and decide what book to pick up. And enough time for Tony Stark to get caught, apparently.

A few minutes ago, S.H.I.E.L.D. had informed him that a mysterious object had been missing from the terrorist base, even though those who had been captured assured it had to be there. Steve had answered as evasive as he had been able to, but had known right away who to put the blame on. Since Thor was in Asgard and Natasha had gone to backup Clint in his own mission right after the debriefing had finished, he was the only one there to handle this. He would really rather not to worry Pepper and Bruce.

"What were you thinking, Tony?" shouted Steve when he went in, although the music drowned his voice almost completely.

Tony did not hear him, or at least he gave no indication of having done that. Steve let out an exasperated groan.

"Tony!" he yelled again, taping the other man on the shoulder.

The genius actually jumped a little. His eyes were childish and guilty when they fixed on Steve.

"Hey, Cap," he greeted easily, even though at the same time his hands were subtly trying to put some object out of Steve's sight. "What are you doing down here, Spangles?"

But Steve let himself be distracted neither by the enthusiastic greeting nor by the annoying nickname. He gave him a glare and the brunet stepped back.

"What do you want, Rogers?" Tony's voice was hard.

They were always like that. After the battle of New York, all the Avengers had moved in the Stark Tower, now renamed as the Avengers Tower. At first, Tony and Steve had tried to be on civil terms without much success. They had opposite points of view on some matters. And when those matters concerned missions and Tony did what he wanted and Steve refused to listen to Tony's reasons, things got very ugly —especially when they were all back to the tower. But that had been over half a year ago. Eventually, they realised they could not go on like that anymore. Their arguments wore down the team, but above all, they put their teammates' live in danger. So Captain America tried to take more into account Iron Man's strategies, whereas Tony tried to rely more on Steve and remember he was not on his own.

Yet, their personalities still clashed sometimes. And then, their temperaments flared up. They snapped as fast as they had done before. The difference was in the following hours, more awkward, when they silently acknowledged their wrongs.

Still, neither of them thought of feeling bad while they were arguing. Thus, Steve matched Tony's defensiveness straight away.

"I want you to give back what you've stolen, Stark."

"I've stolen nothing, Capsicle."

"Then, what do you have there?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't reclaimed the place when—"

"Bollocks! That belongs to S.H.I.E.L.D., can be dangerous and—"

"Oh, c'mon, Cap!" Tony got really frustrated —even more because he knew he had got no exit. "Stop being a goddamn goody two-shoes! What are you, a teammate or a—?"

"And what about you? You're such a child, Tony!"

While they yelled at each other, Steve attempted to snatch the object, but Tony refused to let it go. So they both found themselves grasping a coarse-grained rock with sparkling green seams. The mineral got slightly hotter, which neither of them could attribute to their contact, especially when its seams grew brighter. They looked each other in the eye for a moment, dumbfounded, and then, all went black.

* * *

"Oh, my God! What are we going to do now?"

It was a female voice and it sounded terribly worried. Steve winced when he tried to open his eyes. There was too much light and his head hurt. But he was on a comfortable surface, possibly a bed.

"We... We need to calm down, Pepper. They... They look fine. Apart from that, of course."

It was a male voice that time. The woman, Pepper, answered immediately.

"I know nervousness won't solve anything, Bruce." She sounded very sharp. "But they are not fine. They're... They are..."

Suddenly, it occurred to Steve that the woman may have been talking about him. He tried opening his eyes again —on that occasion, with more success. He could not suppress a groan, though. A surprised gasp was heard next and a redhead woman appeared before his eyes.

"Steve? Are you okay?"

His head hurt so bad that he only managed a weak:

"Ma'am?"

The woman and the man shared a concerned look.

"Do you remember me, Steve? Or Bruce?"

He focused on their faces for a moment before closing his eyes. Just a moment, he told himself, just for a second in order to give some rest to his eyelids.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I don't know who either of you are."

The silence may have stretched more at this point, but another moan broke it. Pepper turned around right away and said in an anxious voice:

"Tony? Are you okay? Do you know who I am?"

In the end, Steve's curiosity was stronger than his pain and he opened his eyes again. He focused on his surroundings, which were clearer than before, and finally realised that he was on the extreme of a couch. In the other, there was another boy. He had just woken up and he also looked like he was in pain. He wore an extremely big t-shirt and that made Steve notice he was wearing another huge one as well. It was big on the other boy, but Steve could practically swim in his. The boy looked a couple of years younger than Steve, but then again, Steve looked younger than his ten years old, too. Nevertheless, his eyes showed a deep mistrust when he answered to Pepper.

"I don't know who you are and I don't really care, but—"

The boy trailed off when a gesture of pain crossed his face. Steve was neither in his best shape, but he could not let it pass.

"That's no way of talking to a dame," he reprimanded with a frown on his face.

The other kid fixed his gaze on him and opened his mouth to reply, but Pepper cut them off.

"No, enough. You're not going to start a fight without even remembering each other."

Her words were stern and prevented the children from making any further comments. Yet, the brown-haired boy looked down in obvious displeasure. There was tension in the environment. Steve decided it was still safe enough to ask questions, though.

"Ma'am, may I ask how you know me? And where are we?"

The woman sighed, but her voice was softer when she replied:

"You can call me Pepper, Steve. And it's a long story. To make it short, Bruce and I know both of you. And you're safe here, we're friends."

Tony snorted at that.

"Yeah, sure. I don't care if you work for my dad or something, but where's Jarvis? And why have you brought me here?"

Pepper turned to Bruce. It looked like she was searching for help, but she found little in the fidgeting man. That time, she repressed another sigh.

"I promise I... we," she gave a significant look to Bruce, "will explain everything to you. But I think it'll be better if we get you checked up and dressed first, okay?" said Pepper with an encouraging smile.

"I'm perfectly fine," said Tony petulantly.

Steve did not agree on the tone, but he did on the words. He did not feel like going over a medical examination in that moment, so he nodded along with Tony. However, Pepper looked neither discouraged nor frustrated. She got on her knees and said in a very sweet tone:

"Please? And we can eat something later while we talk."

In the end, both children complied. The adults seemed extremely worried about Tony having some heart condition, in spite of Tony saying he was healthy enough. Steve's case was the opposite. They looked surprised when the child gave them his embarrassingly long list of illnesses; although they reassured him over and over again that he would be completely all right. He did not know yet what to make of them, but they seemed nice people.

Tony was rather grumpy. He obeyed Pepper's and Bruce's orders reluctantly and sometimes, he was not very polite from Steve's point of view. However, they said nothing and neither looked angry, so Steve thought it was better not to intrude.

As Pepper had promised, after the medical tests, they were given some clothes more appropriate to their size. She said a friend of hers had bought even more and they were being put in two rooms. Once they were comfortably dressed, she led them to a strange kitchen. Bruce had stayed in his laboratory —that was the place where they had woken. She asked them to sit down. Tony looked about to protest, but finally said nothing. In fact, he had been quiet for quite some time.

"Do you like juice?" asked Pepper.

"Whatever," muttered Tony.

Steve hesitated a second.

"That would be swell."

Immediately, Tony looked at him as if he had grown two heads.

"Swell?" he repeated, incredulous. "Do you live with your grandpa or something?"

"I live with my mom," replied Steve, equally puzzled. "Why are you asking?"

"Nobody says 'swell.' "

"They do."

"Don't."

"D—"

"Guys," interrupted Pepper. "What have I said?"

Neither of them looked especially abashed that time, but the blond boy whispered a quick 'sorry.' Tony tried again:

"So, what happened? Are you gonna finally tell us?"

His expression was defiant and Steve finally understood why Bucky found his rebelliousness so amusing. To think of such a small child fighting was, indeed, funny.

"Yes, Tony. But don't you guys want something to eat first?"

Heck if Pepper was not the most patient woman that Steve had ever met. His own mother would have punished him for talking like that to such a nice person. But once more, Pepper did not look very upset or even surprised.

"I don't want to be any trouble, ma'am... Miss Pepper. I'm fine," muttered Steve.

"Well, I'm still guessing you're one of my dad's employees, so I do wanna be trouble. I want blueberry pancakes, with chocolate! And a huge chocolate cak—"

"Dinner's in two hours," cut off Pepper, "so I'm going to take out some chocolate chip cookies and, if you guys are too hungry to wait until dinner, I can make you some sandwiches," said she, kindly. "And neither of you are any trouble."

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**A/N: Thanks for the follows! :D Well, we finally got to the present. I'd love to know what you think.**


	4. Little Ones (Part 2)

**3\. Little Ones (part 2)**

The kids took their orange juices in silence. Tony looked at a loss for words and Steve was too baffled looking at the two packets of cookies to talk.

They inspired great tenderness in Pepper, who had already begun to relax enough to appreciate their little things. Like Steve's physical fragility. Or Tony asking right away for Jarvis, his former butler, when most kids usually ask for their parents first. It seemed unbelievable that Bruce had gone down to his laboratory and found two little kids unconscious on the floor only a few hours ago. It seemed much longer.

Truthfully, she barely needed time to wrap her head around the new situation. Still, that did not stop her from freaking out the entire time. She had known the little children were Tony and Steve straight away. Well, she had known the brown-haired one was Tony and guessed the blond was Steve. JARVIS had confirmed her hypothesis. She and Bruce had had little time to improvise a plan. The first thing they did was to move the children to the couch. Then, she called Happy when Bruce commented that their clothes were too big. And when she looked back, she realised how fortunate was that she had suggested to mute JARVIS, so the AI only communicated with them by texts in order not to frighten the children if they woke up confused.

From then on, she had been too busy freaking out without the kids noticing to really see them. She had also been thinking about what she could tell them. In her opinion, she had finally come out with something acceptable. She took a deep breath before starting.

"I'm afraid I don't work for your dad, Tony. You two are... well, in the future."

"What?!" cried Tony. Steve had the same incredulous look.

"It's 2013. But don't freak out, please. We'll find a way to... get you back to your respective times. Everything will be fine."

Steve's half-eaten cookie had been abandoned on the table. Tony just blurted out:

"I don't believe you."

Pepper had already expected that reaction from one of them, so she simply replied:

"You can look out the window if you want to."

Both children went to one of the enormous glass panels and looked out. The blond boy stood at some distance from the windows, gaping. For a moment, Pepper was afraid that he would suffer a heart attack. On the other hand, Tony kept moving closer after having stopped next to Steve for a second. Then, he put both of his hands on the glass and leant forward, as if he needed to move closer in order to assure himself it was not a dream.

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There was still one hour to dinner and Pepper had gone down to the laboratory to talk to Bruce. Tony was staring at the television, although he had lost interest in it a while ago. Steve, too, was drawing absently. He had grown sad since they got answers.

Tony did not believe the excuse Pepper had given for knowing them —that she had read their names and seen their faces somewhere. It was such a flimsy excuse that he could not believe it for a second. He had tried to protest, but Pepper had been final in that matter. According to her, the only things they needed to know for now were that they were safe —they seemed not to tire of repeating that—, that Bruce and she would take care of them and that they would find a solution. Despite him not liking the other kid very much, Tony attempted to win Steve's support, only to see that he seemed very upset about something; he would not say what, though. Tony might have kept pressuring Pepper more on his own, but it was painfully clear that they were in the future and he supposed there was no use in doing so. Thus, Tony had accepted defeat and gone to check how the television of the future was. Pepper had been making phone calls in the next room, but came to check on them every few minutes.

The red-haired woman had been able to shut up Tony and keep him more or less still, however begrudgingly it may have been. It was a thing many of his nannies could have killed for. He supposed Pepper reminded him of Jarvis in a way. The butler also treated Tony with a strange gentility and he was loving but firm. In addition, she had said he was no trouble, even though it was a big lie that she had no reason to tell. And she was really checking on them even if she was attending important phone calls as well. It was too much to take at once.

When he had woken, hurt and cold and very confused, he had only thought of getting Jarvis. It was common that his parents were absent with no previous warning —after all, they were busy people—, but Jarvis would never leave him without telling him first. However, even if he still missed Jarvis badly, those people, Bruce and Pepper, had an oddly calm effect on him. That was definitely new.

Steve did not look like a bad kid, maybe just a bit of a goody two-shoes. The sort of child that people found _really_ adorable. He looked quite sad and Tony was very bored. So, he got off the couch and came closer to where the blond was drawing. Being so near, Tony could not resist taking a peek at the picture. It depicted a blonde woman with a kid, standing next to a block of buildings. He could barely appreciate much more, because Steve noticed his presence and, quickly, hid the drawing. He was giving him an annoyed stare which Tony had to laugh at.

"Uh, hey, sorry," said he, somewhat nervous, but hiding it well for a ten-year-old. "I was wondering if you'd wanna play or something."

Steve seemed caught by surprise, but it disappeared as fast as his annoyance. In their place, there was a radiant smile.

"Sure," he agreed.

Tony smiled brightly, too, and Steve got on his feet. They both looked around.

"What can we play with?"

"Maybe they have some video console around here. They do have some awesome technology."

"What's a video console?"

Tony gave him a perplexed look again.

"Where are you from?"

"Uh, Brooklyn. Why does that matter?"

Tony made a frustrated sound, which did not help to enlighten Steve in the least.

"No, what I mean is... When are you from? Like, what year was it?"

"Oh!" exclaimed he, understanding. "1928."

Then, the surprised one was the brunet.

"What about you?" asked Steve.

"1980."

"Woah," said Steve, softly. "But still, what's a video console?"

"It's a device where you can play games on a screen," replied Tony promptly.

They were quiet for a moment, thinking of the new information.

"It really seems like a pretty swell thing," said Steve at last. "But I think I'd prefer if we didn't stay in front of the television all the time. Maybe Miss Pepper will let us go out?"

Tony frowned.

"I don't think so. But we could explore the house. I want to see more cool stuff."

Steve hesitated.

"I'm not sure Miss Pepper will be happy with us wandering around her house."

"Oh, come on, Steve. This place is huge! Don't you wanna see the future?"

His exaggerated grin made Steve laugh and he finally agreed.

All right, Pepper had not exactly been pleased when she found them an hour and a half later in the gym. In their defence, the gym had so many new things to offer that they had lost track of time. Steve had insisted on trying to move an enormous punching bag, whereas Tony had discovered what looked like a control panel on a wall. Pushing buttons, he opened a door which led to a simulation room. It was even better than being in a video game! Tony took one of the pistols and attempted to hit all the targets. Steve joined him shortly before Pepper found them.

She led them once more to the kitchen, where she announced that they would be eating Chinese food.

"And the doctor?" asked Steve politely.

"Doctor Banner is... eh... too busy right now. But I'm sure he'll eat with us tomorrow," replied Pepper, giving them one of her honest smiles.

Pepper started taking food out of the containers and Tony ran to see what options there were. Nevertheless, Steve stood in the middle of the room, gaping at the table.

"What's the matter with you, Brooklyn boy?" said Tony, giving him a funny look.

"There's a lot of food," stated Steve simply.

"And?" insisted the other kid, but Pepper cut in:

"It's okay, Steve. We'll store away what's left for Bruce."

When Steve still looked hesitant to join them at the table, Pepper decided to put the poor kid out of his misery. She came closer and guided him gently to the table. As Steve was about to take a seat, Pepper whispered reassuringly:

"Times have changed, sweetie."

After that little accident, dinner went fine. They finished eating and Pepper showed them their new rooms, just a floor below her own and next to each other. They went to settle Steve in his room first. The blond boy looked a little embarrassed —not very surprised, though— when Pepper insisted on pulling the duvet back and giving him a goodnight kiss before leaving. That set a precedent which made Tony nervous. Insecure about whether she would act towards him as she had done towards Steve, the brunet decided not to give her a chance.

"In that closet are your new clothes," Pepper explained.

"I'm okay, you can leave now," he snapped, using that impertinent tone which caused so much annoyance. "I don't need you to tuck me in."

She just chuckled.

"I don't think Steve had let me tuck him in either. You boys are really grown up, aren't you?" For some unknown reason, Tony blushed at that. "But can I give you a goodnight kiss at least?"

The boy said nothing. He was staring at the floor and so, he missed the soft sad smile that crossed Pepper's face. He did feel her fingers brushing his hair off his face and the light kiss on his forehead.

"Goodnight, Tony. Remember, if you need anything, just come and get me."

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**A/N: Well, thank you for the follows and favourites. And thanks especially to randomfanfiction277, SpanishPlume, ErinKenobi2893 and Marytta for the reviews! I'm really glad you guys are enjoying the story. :) As always, any comment is welcome!**


	5. Little Ones (Part 3)

**3\. Little Ones (Part 3)**

The next morning, Tony woke up quite distressed. He knew he had had a nightmare, although he could not remember it clearly. He only knew there was a lot of very cold water and darkness. He refused to even try going back to sleep. Instead, he got off the bed and went out of the room. His bare feet made no sound while he walked along the corridors.

As always happened when he woke up from a nightmare, he missed Jarvis. The Englishman did not always stay the night at the Stark mansion, but there had been occasions when he had, and Tony had had a nightmare and Jarvis was there. He knew how to make it all better. Nevertheless, his butler —his _friend_— was not around that time. There was no use in whining. Stark men were strong, Stark men were...

He had been going down floors, because he had not wanted to risk waking up Pepper or Steve. And in the floor which he currently was, there was a faint light coming from behind a door, and also a soft noise of glass clashing together from time to time. Tony recognised the place as the corridor where they had been earlier that day. The noises came from the laboratory where Steve and he had woken up. He stopped, hesitating whether to enter or not, but finally boredom won and he approached the door.

He pushed it and perked inside. Indeed, there was the doctor. He was hunched over his workbench and did not notice Tony's presence. The brown-haired child was not used to hesitating so often, but the doctor looked like a rather serious man and his own father never let him in his workshop. Would that man kick him out? Would he tell Pepper? She would get angry, but why did this really matter? Everything was already so weird that it could hardly get worse.

"Hey," called out Tony.

The man jumped when he heard his voice. He took a couple of deep breaths as to calm himself before turning around.

Tony," said he, finally looking at him. "I didn't hear you coming. What are you doing awake? It's very late..." The doctor looked down at his watch. "Or early."

"I just woke up."

"And you decided to go into a tour around the tower."

As a reply, Tony only grinned. Bruce sighed and rubbed his hands over his face.

"I think you should go back upstairs, Tony. There are too many dangerous things here."

As he looked up, he must have seen the dejected expression on the child's face, because he sighed again.

"All right. You can stay here until it's time for breakfast, okay?"

Tony beamed at that and Bruce could not help a smile in return. Tony knew he was being surprisingly open with his emotions around the grown-ups, but neither could he help it nor would it be useful. They already paid so much attention to him and Steve that the smallest flicker on their faces drew their attention.

True to his word, Bruce let him stay in the laboratory. He also let him sit next to him at the workbench. From the stool, the kid could see almost the whole room. And while the doctor was waiting for some data, he even talked to him about a new project he was working on with his partner —who was not currently at the tower— in order to figure out a cheaper way to make the water drinkable.

Suddenly, the door opened and Pepper went in.

"Tony!" exclaimed she, although she did not sound especially worried. "If Bruce hadn't sent me a text, I'd have been worried sick about you!"

"I was just bored. And the lab's cool."

Fondness washed over Pepper's face.

"Let's go and have breakfast, okay? All of us, Bruce," remarked she with a glare that made Tony snicker.

When they were in the lift, Pepper got down on her knees and put one hand on Tony's shoulder.

"I just don't like the idea of you wandering alone in such a big place, Tony. Why couldn't you sleep?"

Tony's cheeks blushed an adorable shade of red. He refused to answer, wishing the ride finished soon.

* * *

Pepper did not take too long to come back to the kitchen. She started to make juice with real oranges, instead of getting it from a rectangular box like the previous night. There were a lot of strange things in that place, but Steve thought it would be really rude to question everything. So he tried to conceal his shock better from then on.

The doctor came with Pepper and Tony and began to make pancakes. He actually made a lot of them, in Steve's opinion. An excited Tony insisted on pouring over them just about any sort of topping, while Steve got used to the idea that, apparently, having enough food was not a problem anymore.

After breakfast, Pepper forced Bruce to rest for a while. Steve was grateful to the man for working so hard on getting them back to their times, but the doctor did look dead on his feet. The red-haired woman took up the task of looking after the children, but shortly after, she told them she had a telephone call she needed to attend, although she would be back in a minute. Said time passed and Steve could see boredom spreading over Tony's face. He tried to ignore it —he was content enough with the papers and crayons which Pepper had given them.

"Stevieee..." whined Tony.

Steve definitely hated the nicknames Tony came up with.

"What do you want now?" he inquired without looking up from his new drawing.

"I'm bored. Let's go exploring some more!"

"No, Pepper already got mad the other time. Besides, she said she'd be back in no time."

Tony got on his feet anyway and looked down on him with disdain.

"You're more boring than the grown-ups. I'm out," he announced, effectively going out of the room.

Steve was about to call him out, but the arrogance in Tony's voice had struck a nerve and he said to himself that he did not care at all.

* * *

Bruce's laboratory was deserted and so, that time Tony had no doubts before entering and exploring it through and through. It was very different from his father's workshop —there were test tubes and strange substances in sealed bottles everywhere. There were also a lot of papers full of formulas, but without knowing what they served for, Tony quickly lost interest in them.

And then, in a table emptier than the rest, there was what looked like a metal gauntlet of a vivid red colour. It was more the sort of thing that his father had than what he had seen the doctor managing down there. Tony got excited at once and, getting on a stool, he reached for the gauntlet and a screwdriver which was next to it. Getting down on the floor again, he tried putting on the gauntlet before starting to play around with it.

"So cool," whispered Tony to himself.

The gauntlet was heavy and big on his tiny arm, but the metal finger flexed smoothly. It was just amazing and the child wondered whether it was a project of Bruce or his partner's. He tried to use the screwdriver to fit the invention around his arm a little better at the same time that he stretched his fingers. Suddenly, the metal palm fired itself. The force made Tony's arm go back too fast and he could not help a yell of pain. Then, he looked up and saw the enormous hole on the wall. A table that had been on the way had also ended destroyed; glass and chemicals were scattered everywhere. His eyes went wide and swelled up with tears.

He stayed like that for what he thought were hours, until a cry resounded in the whole laboratory and startled him out of his shock.

"Tony!"

Pepper stormed in and scanned the room with a quick glance, before spotting Tony and making her way to him. Relief washed over her face for a moment, but the panic still remained. The child cowered down, but the woman did not seem to realise it, being as hysterical as she was.

"Tony. Oh, my God! You could've been seriously hurt! What have you done? Are you hurt?"

She actually seemed to relax a bit after yelling. The last question was made in a softer tone, all worry and fright. When Tony neither answered nor looked up, she bent down swiftly.

"Oh, Tony. Honey, look at me, please." She put both of her hands on his arms and he flinched. "I'm sorry for yelling. You just... I was terrified. Are you in pain? Are you hurt?"

At last, Tony shook his head. After almost a minute, he looked up. There were tear tracks on his cheeks and his eyes were still wet. He looked like he was going to say something, mutter an apology or an explanation, maybe. But finally, nothing came out of his mouth. Pepper just exhaled a soft sight. She tried not to sound accusatory when she inquired:

"What happened?"

There was no answer. He simply showed her the metal gauntlet, which was still around his arm. Pepper's lips tightened.

"Where have you taken that from?"

"It was on there," he said, signalling the table with his head.

His voice was small, but a dreadful realisation was dawning on Pepper: the child had just fired a mortal gun without any sort of control. The possible consequences snatched away the reassurance that, in the end, said child was actually fine.

"Tony," she said firmly, although she remembered not to raise her voice volume, "have you any idea of what could have happened? You could've killed yourself." And for some reason, the fact that Pepper did not yell that last sentence made it more frightening. "The lab's a very dangerous place. It's not for children. But anyway... You can't keep running around the place without any warning, Tony."

"Sorry," he muttered.

"I'm serious, Tony. I'm really upset right now. You're not to keep wandering without permission and you're not to touch things that aren't yours."

"Yeah, 'course."

Pepper tightened her lips again at the short answer, but chose to say nothing. Instead, she took the gauntlet off his arm —his little, fragile arm, thought Pepper— and led him by the hand to the living room in the upper floors. There was no doubt that she was angry, but still, she had managed to shock him a little more by taking his hand with gentleness rather than fury. She, too, had dried his eyes without making any comment about his tears. If Tony had to say something about Pepper getting angry it would be that she acted strange when she did so.

Steve waited for them up there. For such a skinny kid, the blond surely had a devastating disappointed look. Tony and he had been getting along more or less, but the tiny genius decided then that he hated Steve. After all, he was giving him the same look everyone else did when Tony failed to meet their expectations. Tony might not have been good enough, but definitely Steve was not special.

* * *

**A/N: Not much interaction between the children in this chapter, sorry. But oh, Tony, can't you stay out of trouble? I don't know how Bruce or Pepper will survive this fic without a heart attack. Dead by cuteness; cute. And aren't they all extremely cute? Anyway, stop ramblings. Thank you so much for reading, and thanks to randomfanfiction277 and ErinKenobi2893 for reviewing. Your comments make my day, guys!  
**


	6. Little Ones (Part 4)

**3\. Little Ones (Part 4)**

Pepper had just entered the room and asked where Tony was when her mobile telephone had beeped. And she must have read something on the screen that made her run out. She had come back a long while later accompanied by Tony. By their looks, Steve knew Pepper was upset because of something Tony had probably done. The blond child did not bother to hide his disapproval. Tony was being very rude upsetting Pepper all the time. In addition, the brunet gave him a look which clearly showed his dislike towards Steve.

The rest of the time was tense. It was obvious that Pepper did not want to leave either of the children out of her sight. Steve tried to pass the time by concentrating on his drawing. The red-haired woman put on a movie for them, but Tony sat on the sofa in the further corner from Pepper —from both of them, really. Steve did not mind. He thought Tony was behaving like a brat.

Halfway through the film, the brunet boy started to complain —that he was bored and a genius, and he needed brain stimulation or something like that. After some thought, Pepper stated that she was still mad and so, only from tomorrow on she would let him use a computer. For that day, she could get him board games or some books. That soured Tony's mood even more. Nevertheless, it was when Pepper suggested that he could play with Steve that all hell broke loose.

"I won't go anywhere near that wanker!" cried out Tony.

Steve did not know very well what that word meant, but he was pretty sure it was an insult.

"Hey!" He got up, forgetting the drawing. "Say that again to my face if you dare."

"I do dare," answered Tony right away, while Pepper also got up and came between the two of them. "Who'd be afraid of a skinny baby such as yourself, anyway?"

"How tall exactly do you think you are?"

"Tony, Steve, stop now," said Pepper in her business voice, and right after muttered under her breath. "I swear to God I need more babysitters on this team."

"I'm not a baby!" yelled Tony.

Steve had had enough of Tony's non-cooperative attitude. And so, he did the only thing he could think of in that moment. He shoved Tony. The other boy was taken by surprise and fell down on the floor with a soft thud. Steve heard Pepper cry his name, but he was too busy in shock watching Tony getting up. For a moment, when Tony looked at him with so much hatred, Steve thought of how he had started a fight and felt an awful lot like a bully. He had already an apology ready, but then Tony's eyes caught something behind him. He understood a second too late what it was. When he did, Tony had torn his drawing up and crumpled the parts in his tiny fists.

"Captain America, huh? You are _nothing_ like Captain America!"

* * *

Tears had appeared in Steve's eyes, but before anything else happened, Pepper had put her foot down and sent Tony to his room. Afterwards, she had tried to comfort Steve, but the kid had not even let any tears fall. After picking up his torn picture, he had asked to be excused and had also gone to his room. Pepper, a little overwhelmed by the situation and not knowing what else to do, had let him do so. She had managed to ask him at the last minute what he had drawn, despite her already knowing, but Steve had answered briefly that it was just a silly image that had crossed his mind.

A couple of hours later, Bruce woke up. Pepper met him in his laboratory and explained to him what had happened that afternoon.

"They've got very different personalities," said Bruce when Pepper had finished.

"Yes, but I wish they didn't clash so hard. They're both good kids," replied she. Then, after a moment of thought, she asked: "How's your research going?"

"I can't guarantee anything, but I still believe it's possible the stone's effects disappear eventually on its own."

"That's not bad, isn't it?"

Bruce gave a nod with a nervous shrug of shoulders.

"Has S.H.I.E.L.D. contacted you again?"

"Not since yesterday," she answered. "They insisted on bringing the children and the stone to their building, but I refused by saying... well, that you were pretty sure the de-aging effects would reverse somewhat soon."

Bruce could tell Pepper was uncomfortable for including him in her lie. But the ginger was also extremely stressed and, still, was handling the situation well enough. Neither of them would let S.H.I.E.L.D. take Tony and Steve and they needed the stone to keep figuring out how to fix the current situation. Thus, Bruce gave her a small smile which Pepper returned.

"I'm going to kill Tony when he's back to normal," she joked.

"Yeah, the kid's too cute now. It'd be a pity."

Their smiles grew slightly bigger and Pepper relaxed a bit more.

"I'm going to make an early dinner. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better."

* * *

The next day started more organised, at least. Dinner had been a tense affair the previous night. Tony was sulking all night, but rather than make snarky comments, he did not talk at all. Steve only gave polite but disinterested answers when he was asked. And the kids barely looked at each other. Only the chat between Pepper and Bruce made dinner bearable, but the woman knew she needed a plan for the next day. After all, she had not been Tony Stark's personal assistant for years for nothing. And so, there she was the next morning, informing the children when they finished their breakfast that they would go to the park and have lunch there later. It was a rather risky plan, but Pepper trusted the children not to hold grudges for a very long time at such a short age.

Steve had been excited to hear it. He was used to spending most of his time outdoors and longed for that. Tony, on the other hand, had stated it would be a stupidity and a waste of his time. But he was ten years old and Pepper had a tone which did not admit a negative. So, in the end, the three of them walked to the nearest park.

The awe had been written on the young faces when they saw the 'future.' Tony's hand gripped Pepper's slightly tighter when he saw an especially outstanding car. It had been amusing seeing how both kids had refused to be lead by the hand on the street and the outrageous looks that they had given each other when they realised they had just agreed on something. Nevertheless, Pepper had convinced Steve quickly by just saying he would not go to the park otherwise. And when she had held Tony's hand and whispered a complicit 'come on,' the child had not shaken it off.

Once in the park, Steve had climbed a tree and, when Pepper ordered him to get down, he had gone to feed the ducks on the pond and after that, he started to draw them. Tony stayed with Pepper on the bench, kicking his legs back and forth.

"I'm sure he'd forgive you if you apologised," she whispered to him unexpectedly.

Tony did not look up.

"I'm not sorry."

"You sure?"

That time, he did look at her, defiantly.

"Yeah. It wasn't even the real shield, just a drawing. I've seen the real one on videos and it was much more amazing than his drawing."

"Still, it was Steve's drawing, and he'd put a lot of effort in it. How would you feel if someone broke a robot of yours?"

Tony looked surprised that she knew what he built —or rather attempted to—, but hid his shock quickly. Instead, his expression grew a little darker as he mumbled:

"If they aren't good, they have no value."

"Tony, that's not true," said Pepper vehemently, holding both of his hands to convey better her point. "Your effort and illusion alone make them special."

Tony's eyes watered again and he tried to remove his hands from Pepper to dry them. Pepper did not let him, but came closer and enveloped him in a hug. Without really noticing, Tony grabbed two fists full of Pepper's shirt and began to cry. Pepper whispered reassuringly, tracing circles on his back while looking in Steve's direction. Fortunately, the blond kid was completely absorbed in his new picture.

When finally Tony calmed down and stopped crying, he looked up at her with the most miserable brown eyes ever.

"I'm... I'm sorry," he whispered, with a bit of earnestness lacing his wet eyes.

"It's okay," said Pepper smiling, mostly for his sake.

"It's just... I was so mad when he shoved me. He's not gonna forgive me."

He said the last sentence in such a low voice that Pepper almost missed it.

"Of course he will. It wasn't right of him to shove you either. You guys have to treat each other better."

"I will, I promise," he answered right away. Then, he looked her in the eye and said quietly, "Thank you, Pepper."

The red-haired woman smiled more brightly that time and gave him another hug.

* * *

**A/N: Well, who said interaction always ended up well? Thanks very much to randomfanfiction277 and the two guests for leaving a review. I'm very happy to see you're enjoying the story and find it believable. To answer the first guest, there is an explanation of why Steve goes to deal with Tony on his own at the beginning of chapter 3: "Since Thor was in Asgard and Natasha had gone to backup Clint in his own mission right after the debriefing had finished, only he was there to handle this." I hope that answers your question. :) Looking forward to seeing what you think!  
**


	7. Little Ones (Part 5)

**3\. Little Ones (Part 5)**

Tony came near Steve feeling very nervous despite Pepper's reassurances. What if Steve did not forgive him after all? What if he did not want to play with him anymore? He did look content enough drawing. It was clear that Steve loved drawing as much as Tony loved building things. He had thought he hated the blond, but in that moment, Tony realised he was scared stiff that he had ruined his friendship with him even before it started.

"Hey."

Steve looked up at him a bit suspiciously, but said hello back.

"I... uh... I wanted to apologise. You know, for your drawing. I'm sorry."

To Tony's ears it sounded rather lame, partly because he had talked too fast. Steve just kept observing him for a little while without changing his expression before softening it and answering:

"Okay. I'm sorry, too, for shoving you."

"It's okay. I only fell because you caught me by surprise." When Steve smirked, he insisted: "It's true! Well, never mind. Do you... uh... wanna play? Pepper also brought a ball."

Although he would probably never admit it, Tony felt very relieved when Steve quickly agreed and gave him one of his radiant smiles. He closed the notebook where he had been drawing before and both of them went to get the ball.

They had spent some time kicking it to each other when Pepper said they needed to get lunch. However, the two kids were having such a great time that they managed to convince Pepper that she would go and get the food for all of them.

"Okay, but I can still see you from the food stand. So, behave yourselves," she warned as they nodded.

Just a few minutes later, Steve kicked the ball especially hard. He whooped while Tony went to pick it up chuckling. The ball rolled until it stopped inside a group of teenagers. At first, Tony hesitated, remembering those at his school, but he swallowed and, not wanting to look like a coward in front of Steve, he went to ask for the ball as steady as he was able to. Yet, the words died in his throat when one of them picked it up and smiled at him. It was neither a pretty smile nor an honest one.

"Hey, kid. Is it yours?"

Tony nodded weakly and stretched his arms out for the ball.

"Yes. Give it back to me."

"Whoa. So rude, kid. Didn't your parents teach you manners?"

"It's not very polite not to give back which isn't yours, either."

As usually, despite the fear the words were out before Tony could really think of them.

"Give it back to us now, please."

Steve had come to join him. There was coldness in his usual polite tone.

"Kids nowadays need a lesson," said other member of the group, getting up.

Tony stepped back at those words, but when he saw the boy heading towards Steve he intervened without another thought. His push hardly threw out of balance the older boy, but it was enough to make him angry. He reached for the neck of his t-shirt and pushed him against a tree, holding him there.

Tony was terrified. He knew he should be stronger —_Stark men are made of iron_. He also knew a beating would not kill him. Nevertheless, he was truly afraid and breathing was getting harder. Memories, scenes which made no sense at all came up to his mind: freezing water in his lungs, a giant metal robot choking him, bright green and a hand of large fingers around his neck...

Suddenly, the hold disappeared. He fell on his knees coughing and he could feel grass under his palms. In the distance, he heard Pepper's yell. He opened his eyes in time to see Steve getting backhanded. Then, the teenagers must have heard Pepper coming, because they just ran away.

"My God! I let you alone for five minutes and you got in a fight! Are you okay?"

By then, Tony was beginning to understand that Pepper yelled a lot when she was worried.

"I— I... An idiot..."

Tony shut up after several unsuccessful tries to explain what had just happened. He went where Steve was, already getting up from the soil.

"Are you okay?" Tony turned to Pepper to clarify his concern. "They hit Steve."

"Everything's jake," replied Steve with a tiny smile. When Tony gave him a confused look, he rephrased his answer: "I'm all right, honestly."

After ensuring that it was true and neither of them had any injury, Pepper took them to eat somewhere else. They all were still a little shaken up —she would not stop fussing over them no matter what they said—, but Pepper was glad to see they had a very good new dynamic.

That night Tony sneaked out of his room. He had a question in his head and he would not fall asleep until he had an answer as well. When he got in Steve's room, everything was dark and there was not a single sound.

"Steve?" he called out, tentatively.

There was no answer and he had to reach the bed and then, nudged the other child on the shoulder.

"Steve," he called again.

"Tony?" inquired Steve in a very sleepy voice.

"Yeah... Can we talk?"

"Now?"

Still, Steve sat on the bed at once and switched on the night-table lamp.

"What's up?" he asked, patting a spot near him for Tony to sit.

The brunet boy did so, but he was uncharacteristically shy.

"What's wrong, Tony?"

There was now plain worry in Steve's voice.

"Nothing," Tony hastened to reassure him. "But this afternoon, at the park... I know it's silly, but I need you to tell me why you did it."

"Why did I do what?"

"Whatever you did to get that boy off me."

"Oh," replied Steve, understanding showing on his face. "I just kicked his shin. Really hard," added he with a grin.

Tony composed a small smile, too, but then, he got serious.

"But why did you do it?"

"Because that nitwit was hurting you."

Tony's smile came back for an instant when he did recognise the slang that time. But it was obvious on his face that he kept not seeing the reason. No kid ever came to his rescue, and even in that case all help had a price. Yet, Steve seemed to think that he had done nothing special. Tony did not know how to explain this. Luckily for him, Steve understood without words.

"That's what buddies are for. Bucky always has my back —we use to say we'll be together 'till the end of the line. And you're my friend, Tony, so I want to have your back as well."

Steve finished his speech with a beaming smile. Tony had bright eyes and an adorable confused expression.

"We're friends?"

"Yeah. Of course, you dummy. You had my back first, remember? You shoved that bully. You were really brave! Besides, we get along far too well not to be friends."

Tony smiled at that. Another reply would have fallen short.

* * *

**A/N: I'm afraid we're coming to an end. :( There will be another short chapter and an epilogue. And I won't ******possibly **be able to update until Sunday; sorry, guys. Thanks for leaving a review to IamMeWhoAreYou, ErinKenobi2893, randomfanfiction277 and the guest (Tony misses his Jarvis so much I thought it would be too cruel to introduce him to JARVIS for such a short time; thank God it's in character that Pepper would be so foresighted; it could have been a good idea, though). You really make me happy. :) It's impossible not to agree with you, they are so cute! I'd write them forever. Hope you enjoy reading!**


	8. Little Ones (Part 6)

**3\. Little Ones (Part 6)**

Neither of the boys had seemed willing to leave the other's company, so Steve had had no doubts before inviting Tony in his bed. He thought it was the logical thing to do. Actually, he sometimes slept with his mother in the same bed, since in the winter there were many times where body heat was the only thing that kept him from freezing to death. However, Tony had looked at him completely puzzled, as if he had suspected that Steve was trying to play a trick on him. For being a genius, Tony was puzzled for the most normal things. Eventually, Tony had managed to shake off his surprise and had accepted his offer.

And now, Steve was regretting having made it at all. Well, for the most part. He had been about falling asleep when Tony called out his name again.

"Yes?" he answered, even though he could not help thinking: 'Darn it, Tony.' The blond boy did not bother hiding the sleep present in his voice.

"I feel funny."

"Mmm..." When Steve thought about it, he felt something strange, too. Instead of dwelling on it, he just asked: "Funny how?"

"I... I don't know. My skin tickles."

"Are you cold or something?"

"N— No."

If the shiver was not from cold, then it had to be from fear. Steve reached out a hand and started rubbing Tony's arm anyway. But Tony kept trembling, more and more. And so, Steve finally took pity on him and gave him what the brown-haired boy seemed to want but would not ask for: a hug. Immediately, Tony buried his tiny fists and his face on Steve's pyjamas. It took him a few, long minutes to regain his composure, but even when he did, Steve did not let him go. Steve could sense Tony was tense and, at the same time, he was trying to relax in their embrace.

"How do you do for people to like you?" asked Tony in a very low voice, breaking the silence.

Steve thought back of the bullies in his neighbourhood.

"I don't think everyone likes me, Tony."

"Pepper and Bruce do."

"They like you, too."

"They are mad at me most of the time, Steve."

"They are worried about you," retorted Steve with a short chuckle. He paused for a moment, thinking of his next words. "My mom also makes a fuss whenever I get hurt. It's because she cares about me."

They stayed silent for a few seconds.

"I'm sorry," was the unexpected answer from Tony.

"What for?"

"Waking you up."

However, there was no fear or shame in his voice. Thus, Steve took it as a little victory and let out a small chuckle again while he shook his head.

"Shut up, Tony." He thought the other child was smiling. "Are you still feeling funny?" asked Steve.

"Yes."

"Me too."

"Really?"

"Yes, but I'm too sleepy to pay it any attention," finished Steve with a yawn.

At last, Tony seemed to lose his battle against sleep as well, because Steve felt him snuggling deeper into the embrace before falling asleep himself.

* * *

The next morning, both of them realised something was wrong —or right once more— before even opening their eyes. They felt warm and safe. And also... big. It was certainly an awkward and uncomfortable moment when they both opened their eyes and asserted that yes, they were adults again.

They remembered their whole lives, including what had happened while they had been de-aged. Tony knew what had caused his nightmares that previous night, as well as the confusing images which had crossed his mind when the teenager had attacked him. Steve had the painful thought that he had last seen his mother not a couple of days before, but almost a century ago. Jarvis would never comfort a distress Tony again. Bucky would no longer tease him by calling him 'punk'. A suffocating sadness grew heavier and heavier inside them when they remembered another thing: the strange connection they had felt as children, the feeling of protectiveness and safety. The feeling that, somehow, they belonged there, with those people.

Of course, they disentangled themselves quickly. They blushed and tried to laugh the embarrassment off. But neither of them even thought of taking back their words from that previous night.

* * *

**A/N: Snuggling! I hope no one has died of a fluff overdose. Well, truthfully, this fic ended here, but my friend Mary asked me for a Pepperony epilogue; and how do you say "no" to a friend (with a very cute drawing)? The epilogue should be up tomorrow. And... I really don't want to finish this. It has been such a great experience, both writing and publishing it. Thank you very much for all the follows and favourites; and thanks so, so much to IcePrinceRay, randomfanfiction277, ErinKenobi2893, RandominatorOwl and Mary for their reviews. They make me want to write non-stop. :)**


	9. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

"Did you miss me?" asked Tony that night with a smirk while he and Pepper were lying on their bed.

His tone was as cocky as ever, but the sweetness with which he caressed her hair expressed he had missed her very, very much.

"Yeah, I did," replied Pepper, turning to him without opening her eyes.

She buried her face on his shirt and smiled when she felt the Arc reactor there. Then, she finally looked up at him and matched his smirk with one of her own.

"But I have to say you were very cute. Your puppy-dog eyes were just unbelievable."

"Aren't they now?" he joked, feigning hurt.

"Of course they are," she said, going for a kiss.

They kissed for some long moments more, until they resumed their previous positions. It had been an exhausting day and they both were content with just lying next to each other.

"But you were really cute, you know? I mean, I'd have expected you were an unrulier kid."

"Pep, I almost got myself killed toying around with the Iron Man gauntlet. And I tore apart Cap's drawing. God, I really felt awful for that," groaned he while he rubbed a hand over his face.

"Yes, I know. That's why I can say you were an adorable, good kid."

"You were really good with both of us, Pep."

She had already known of Tony's insecurities a long time before he and Steve got turned into children. Yet, for the few days they were children, his insecurities had been plainly written on his face. And for that reason, hearing now those same doubts in his voice was even more painful. Pepper wanted to wipe that off at once, but she knew the only way of doing so was little by little.

It seemed like he never stopped breaking her heart and making her smile all the time. Nevertheless, if that was the price for their love, it was definitely worth it. She bit back a sigh, suddenly smiling because of an image that had crossed her mind.

"Just thank God the rock didn't de-age me. Then you'd really know how much of handful a rebellious child can be."

* * *

**A/N: And that is, that's really the end; a little epilogue to wrap everything up. I'm so glad to see that so many people have enjoyed this story; I certainly had a lot of fun (and feelings) writing it. Thank you so much for every follow and favourite and just for reading _Pocket-Sized_ in general, but especially, for all the kind words you guys have left on your reviews (and PMs). You are a truly encouragement to keep writing. ^^ A******lthough right now I can't promise anything, **I don't rule out writing a series of one-shots related to this fic, and I'm definitely keeping in mind ErinKenobi2893's idea. Thanks for reviewing the previous chapter to IcePrinceRay, ****ErinKenobi2893, RandominatorOwl and starfire25! ****Reviews make me extremely happy, so I believe you guys deserve some sort of acknowledgment, but since many of you aren't logged in, I can't reply to you privately and I don't want my author's notes to go on forever. To be honest, I like replying to reviews as much as I like reading them. x)  
**


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